Support



April 9,1940. AJBERNDT' 2,196,892

SUPPORT Filed Nov. 30, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l uw'" ""m I INVENTOR ALEXANDER cffiERmoz i M g? V April 9, 1940. A, BERNDT 2,196,892

SUPPORT Filed N03. 30, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ALEXA NDERJfiE/P/VDZ Patented Apr. 9, 19419 UNITED I STATES PATENT. OFFlCE i v n. 'surronr v I Alexander J. BerndtQUnion'City, N. 1, assignor to J ohn Gabri'eIQWest New York, N. J. Application ove 30, 1937, Serial No. 177,211 9 8 Claims: (01;. soc- 3 This invention relates to supports and more particularly to supports for movablymounting a mechanism, such as a motor, to render said mechanism automatically adjustable with respect to another instrumentality, the-present application being in part a continuation of my prior application S. N. 151,051, filed June 29, 1937. a

For purpose or" illustration, an electric motor has been chosen to represent the movablymounted mechanism and a pump to illustrate the relatively fixed mstrumentality, and, merely for clarity of description, will by those designations, invention thereto. l

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved support for a motor or other; mechanism in its relation to av relatively fixed pump or other ,instrumentality; to maintain precision of parallelism or alignment of the motor and pump; to overcome detrimental twisting, canting and torsional moments transmitted to said support; to render the support freely slidable; to minimize ,contactof the support with its rails; to reduce friction of such contact; to obtain rigidity of the support; to insure rigidity of the support next the rails; to enable the support to be spring but without restricting the tensioned with correct adjustment; to allow; ready adjustment with the motor and pump in operation; to obtain accurate assembly; to enable the tive association with a pump; s

. Figure 2 is an. underneath View of the support; Figure 3 is a central longitudinal section of the support, and showing a part of the bed and motor associated therewith;

Figure 4 is a cross-section on line 4-4 or Fig. 3; Figure 5 is an enlargement of the crosssectional showing of Figure 4 of one rail and associated portionof the support;

' support of Figures 6 and '7;' and be referred to specifically plate parallel to support to be used with various types ofmotors; to secure simplicity of construction. and opera-- and to obtain other advantages andresults front, of a motor ,mounted on the support of the present invention, in opera-- Figure 8 is an underneath View of the modified view on line 9-9 of Figure 7 the scale being somewhat increased over the scale of Figure 7.

In the specific embodiment of the invention Figure 9 is a cross-sectional illustrated in said drawings, and referring initially to Figures 1- to ,5 inclusive,the reference numeral l0 designates any suitable base on which is fixedly carried an instrumentality, such as 10 pump H, having a'driver pulley I2 for a belt l3 extending to a driving pulley l4 onthe armature shaft l5 of a motor 16 constituting the specific showing of instrumentality for which my improved support I! is provided. The support ll provides a'pair of parallel cleats l8 whichare bolted or otherwise secured in fixed position upon'the base It transverse to the length thereof or, in other words, parallel to the armaand with their opposite ends secured in said.

cleats, are a pair of rails l9, l9. These rails are provide outside cylindrical bearing surfaces.

Upon the pair of, rails rests a carriage 20 which 5 is preferably of sheet metal of sufficient gauge for the purpose. Themarginal edges of this the rails are bent downward and somewhat inward, thus providing side flanges 2!, 2t making acute included angles between each flange and the body or fiat portion of the plate. Within this included angle is preferably secured a cushioning element 22, such" as rubber, cork, or other material on the face of is an antifr ction surfacing element 23 extended,

bypreference, substantially the length of the flange and plate and are sufiiciently wide to enable the antifriction element to be fully supandat'the side of the rail.. Rivets 24 or other suitable means through the said elements and ture shaft of the motor. Between these cleats, 20

which remote from the metal of plate and flange, 5

' ported by the cushioning element and to have a 40 tangential line engagement on the top of the rail that the 5 flanges will slope to a position at least partially under the rails, and lineeng'ag'em'ent of the anti;

friction element on the flange will thus prevent thef'plate from-lifting from the railas well as preventing the plate from .canting up at either 50 Figure '7 is a front edge v ew supportof Figure 6;

ofthe plate'withtherod (effected through the of the'modified "antifriction'elementl thus gives desired engage- ,ments throuehoutthelength of end or from twisting laterally. "The line contact I of the flange'and the line contact of the body flange and plate J I body with the rail out with minimum engagement circumferentially of the rail. Very free sliding is thus secured. The antifriction element may be of appropriate material, such as one containing a lubricant of which graphite is an example, and with such means as asbestos and wire mesh for efiecting body, strength and lasting characteristics. The element may therefore be relatively permanent andthe support enabled to slide freely without need of extraneous oiling substantially as long as the machine is used. While I have shown a cushioning element 22 included between the metal of the plate and the antifriction element, for absorbing vibration and aiding to some extent in the free sliding by preventingwedging of the rail in the included angle, said cushioning element may be omitted entirely if desired and the antifriction element secured directly to the metal of the plate.

The tension of belt I3 tends to slide the motor toward the pump, and as the motor is secured, as by bolts 25, to theplate, the said plate will be normally drawn in the same direction. This sliding impetus is counteracted by a pair of springs 26, 26 beneath the plate. Inthis connection it is pointed out that said plate has stiffening flanges 27, 28 depending at its: forward and rearward edges respectively, and said springs hook into appropriate holes in the forward flange 27, preferably quite near the ends of that flange.

.Said springs slope toward each ctherrearwardly and hook at their rear ends in the ends of a yoke 9. This yoke is shown of channel formation with the flanges of the channel projecting rearwardly and receiving non-rotatively a nut 38 in which is the threaded portion of a belt orother adjusting means 3l. Said adjusting bolt extends rearwardly and without screw engagement through the rear flange 23 of the plate (which is cut-out at 32 for that purpose) and through the rear one of the cleats, with its head beyond the cleat and a lock nut 33 interposed if desired between said head andcleat upon the threaded shank of the bolt. Said bolt head and lock nut are therefore exposed in position for ready access while the motor and pump are running, en-

abling proper tension to be applied to thesprings under operating conditions. It may be observed at this time that, by the divergence 01 the springs to the forward end of the plate and convergence toward the adjusting screw head, a maximum stability is secured and minimum forces are introduced. i

Referring to the showing of the preferred construction of support illustrated in Figures 6 to 9 inclusive, the same general instrumentalities are there present as in the preceding figures, the support being for use with a motor and for support ingsuch a motor in resilient slidable relation with respect to a driven element such as the compressor of Figure 1. Referring in detail to the specific embodiments in Figs. 6'to 9 inclusive,

the reference numeral 3'! designates in general a support providing, as before, a pair of parallel cleats 38 which are'bolted or otherwise secured in use in fixed position upon any suitable base such as base It illustrated in Figure 1. The cleats in the instant showing are illustrated as of channel formation with the flanges of the channel directed downwardly, but the invention is not restricted to this particular type of cleat, the construction of which may be. made identical with that of preceding figures if so desired. The construction is such that the cleats may be bolted in adjusted position with greatest facility upon most posterior flanges to which they may be I butt'welded as indicated at 48. This assembly will secure a rigid construction and will maintain the rails with precision parallel to each other and properly spaced at all times.

Upon the pair of rails 39, 39 rests a carriage here shown as of longitudinal separable sections M, 42. Each section is provided with a pair of slots 43 aligned transverse'to the rails 39 and thus enabled to receive the four cornered bolts of a motor, such as shown in Fig. 1, for securing the motor and support sections firmly together. Inasmuch as the spacing of the bolt holes of various types of motors is not standard, the present construction enables sections 4| and 62 of the sup port to be'spread more or less to align the bolt slots 43- of the supports with the bolt holes oi the motor, the slots likewise accommodating variations in spacing of the bolt holes transversely of the support. After the motor is secured to the sections-of the support, it will be obvious that said sections are rigid with respect to the motor and the motor and said support sections will accordingly move as a unit.

The lateral marginal edges of each section of the support are bent downwardly, thus providing side flanges 44 passing downwardly at the outside of rails 39, 39.

On the underside of each support section 4|,

42, are pairs ofbearing plates 45, it which extend in flatwise engagement against the undersurface of the upperplate of the section substantially from said flanges to the middle of the said section. These bearing plates t5; &5 have their lateral margins bent downwardly as at 47 and then inwardly as at 48 in channel formation of appropriate dimension to slidably engage against the rails 33. In other words, each bearing plate 45, 46 rests upon the top of its respective rail andhas its lateral flange 4'? bearing against theoutside or lateral portion of said rail 39 and has its inturned flange 48 engaging at the underside ofrail 39. The fabrication is made with appropriate accuracy to obtain sliding contact of the bearing plate with the rail without undue friction and without undue freedom so as to-complate with three lines of contact with the rail, -For convenience, the uppen plate of the support may be spotwelded, as at, lflto the under plate after theabove described assembly has beeneffected. Additional security and rigidity is obtainedby also welding, as at ElLflange 44 of: the upper plate to the lower corner of, flange 431 of the lower plate. It will be observedby this construction, that any variations in position of the rails 39, 39; with respect'to eachother is accommodated by the adjustable relationship of the under plates 45 and 46 during the assembly, and then each support is assembled'with perfect sliding engagement between the rails and the respeotive bearing plates. The welding of the flanges in sliding relationship to the rails at all times. Consequently, line contact of the bearing plate is maintained by its surface on top, to bottom and side of each' rail. The line contact, except for the gap which is made by spreading the plates to attach to the motor, is a continuous line of contact will thus obtain a very smooth sliding engagement between thecarriage and the rails, one which cannot introduce undesired binding of the carriage upon the rails, and yet one which will prevent chattering and other undesirable conditions. i

The tension applied to sliding the motor to tighten the belt, is as in the previously described construction, obtained by a pair of springs 5|, 5i;

These springs are attached as before to a stiffening flange 52 at the end of the support section 42 which in use is toward the compressor or other operated-mechanism. The springs converge toward'and are secured to a yoke 53 which in this instance takes the form of a wing-nut with the springs hooked into holes in the nut wings. The nut advances 'orrretracts upon a screw 54 parallel to the rails, said screw having a bearing support in the flanges of cleats 38, 38. A head shown as in the form of wing head 55, added to the screw 5 enables the screw to be rotated and a nut or other means 56 at the opposite end of the screw beyond the cleat 38 retains the screw from longitudinal displacement either by tension of the springs. or under the influence of its rotation. However, other means other than just described may be employed as a tensioning means for the springs. The construction lends itself to a simplicityof parts, ease of assembly and convenience of operation. The support of screw 56 at its opposite ends by the cleats and the divergence of the springs from yokes 53 to the forward end of the motor support obtains maximum sta-' bility and introduces minimum adverse forces.

Obviously other detail changes and modifications may be made in the construction and use of my improved support, and I do not wish it understood that I restrict myself to the details shown or described or the specific use and instrumentalities and mechanisms referredto except as set forth in the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A support comprising a pair of longitudinally parallel rails, a carriage slidable on said rails, said carriage having its slidable support on said rails by substantially a line contact with respect to each rail for substantially the length of said carriage, and said carriage having edge portions secured to the upper plate.

thereof directed inwardly under the rails with another line contact for retaining the carriage seated on said rails;

2. A support comprising a pair of longitudinally parallel rails, a carriage slidable on said rails, said carriage having side flanges directed downwardly and obtaining slidable line contact with the rails at the sides'thereof and di'rected'inwardly beneath the rails obtaining slidable line contact with said rails beneath the same.

3. A support in accordance with claim 2 wherein the carriage comprises an upper plate extend-- ing entirely across both rails and a pair of end plates each of which provide the said flanges for slidably engaging respective rails and each bein 4. A support comprising a pair of longitudinal parallel rails, a support slidable on said rails, said support comprising sections separably transverse to the said rails, each section having its support on said rails by substantially a slidable line contact with respect to each rail for substantially the length out said section aligned to the rail. 7 v

5. A support in accordance with claim 4 wherein each section provides. an upper plate and a pair of under plates secured together, said under plates each having flanges extending downwardly at the side of the respective rail and extending under each rail thereby giving to each under plate three parallel slidable line contacts with its respective rail. f-

6. A support comprising a pair of longitudinally parallel rails, a carriage on said rails, an antifriction element disposed 'betweensaid rails and and providing substantially a line contact with respect to the rail,

7. A support comprising a pair of longitudinally parallel rails, a carriage on said rails having its side edges deflected inward undersaid rails, and an antifriction element interposed between each said rail and the overlying portion of the carriage and underlying flangefor substantially friction element disposed between said rails and carriage substantially the length of the carriage and providing substantially a line contact with respect to the rail, and cushioning means bea tween the carriage and said antifriction means.

ALEXANDER J. BERNDT.

, carriage substantially the length of the carriage 

